Reprogramming
by brailrose
Summary: Phil Coulson is alive and has recently found a sister he never knew existed. He convinced her to take a dangerous job and swore if anything went wrong he would protect her. When things go wrong and he get's Jenna back a little to easily, can anyone save her from her own mind? Can they protect her when they come back for her? (Eventual Hawkeye/OC)
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

I wake up fine and dandy but then by the time I find it handy,  
To rip my heart apart and start planning my crash landing,  
I go up, up, up, up, up to the ceiling,  
Then I feel my soul start leaving, like an old man's hair receding,  
I'm pleading please, oh please on my knees repeatedly asking,  
Why it's got to be like this, is this living free,  
I don't want to be the one, be the one who has the son's blood on my hands,  
-Ode to Sleep, Twenty One Pilots

A young blond haired woman just stepped out of the elevator on the main floor, a yawn escaping her lips. She walked slowly towards the front desk, ready to drop off her badge and ready to go home for the weekend. She came up to the desk with a sigh and unclasped her badge from her blouse. "Hey Mark, I'm turning in my badge for the day", the blond haired woman gave the older security guard a tired smiled as she passed him her security badge.

"Ah thank you Jenna. It's good to see you again", Mark smiled, his eyes crinkling as he did so.

"You see me nearly everyday, multiple times a day Mark", she laughed and smiled at him as she leaned on the counter.

"Haha I know Jenna. How was work today?" he asked as he scanned my badge out and typed a few things in to the computer.

"Pretty well, but tiring. I can't wait to get home so that I can pass out in my bed. How much longer do you have here?" Jenna asked as he handed her an tablet to sign. Security had always been tight at the research facility, and it was always a process getting in and out. She had to get in an hour early so that she could be at her desk 15 minutes before the work day started.

"I have three more hours before I get to go home for the week", he took the tablet without looking up from the computer screen. "Well looks like you're free to go Jenna. I'll see you again on Monday", he smiled.

"Thanks Mark. I'll see you Monday, have a great weekend", she called out as she walked towards the exit. She tightened the scarf wrapped around her neck and pulled a pair of black leather gloves before grabbing for the door to leave. The moment she stepped out in the night air, she immediately began to regret owning so many skirts and so few slacks. She began to riffle through her purse in hunt of her keys as she made her way down the steps. She had parked a couple blocks away from the facility after lunch, her usual spot having been taken by the time she got back. As she looked through her bag, she had the overwhelming sensation that she was being watched. She looked around her before she pulled out her keys and her cell phone. Her first instinct was to call the only person she had on speed dial.

_Ring. Ring. Ring. Ri..._

"Hello? This is Phil Coulson", a slightly groggy voice answered on the other line.

"Hey Phil, I just got off work. I'm being a little bit paranoid right now, but would you stay on the phone with me until I'm in my car and the doors are locked?" Jenna asked as she started walking a little bit faster, her heels clicking against the concrete. There was a slight pausing on the other side of the line and then there was some rustling and a light being switched on.

"Yah, I'll stay on the phone with you Jen. What's got you paranoid?" Phil yawned into the phone as he spoke.

"I don't know, I've felt like I've been being watched these past couple days and again right now. I just want to satisfy my own paranoia and know that if I don't make it to my car, someone will know", she laughed awkwardly. There was an uncomfortable silence on the line as she waited for Phil to respond. She brought her phone away from her ear to check to make sure she hadn't lost signal, before pressing it to her ear again. "Phil? You still there?" Jenna asked concerned.

"Yes, I'm still here. Sorry about the pause. Why didn't you tell me you felt that way? You know I would have taken it seriously, Jenna. About how long does it take for you to get home?" there was more rustling on his side of the line. She presumed he must be getting out of bed. She chuckled softly as her car came into sight.

"You would have given me an escort to and from work and then have someone patrol regularly around my apartment, Phil. I can take care of myself. Plus its just my overactive imagination at work here. I see my car right now. You'll be able to get back to sleep soon enough. Lord knows you don't get enough of it", Jenna laughed as she jangled her keys.

"Jenna..." a sigh came from Phil, "About how long does it take for you to drive home?"

"About twenty minutes, why?" she asked as she got to her car and placed her bag on the roof of her car.

"After we get off the phone, I'm going to expect you to call me back in no more than twenty-five minutes. That way I know you're locked safely away in your apartment. If I don't hear from you, I'm going to come and check up on you personally", the professional side of him was starting to seep out. Jenna couldn't help but sigh at to how he was reacting. She was beginning to regret calling him, she should have known how he would react.

"Look Phil", she balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder as she stuck her keys into the lock and placed her hand under the handle, "I will call you the moment I get home, but as I told you, it's most likely my paranoia and I just needed you to comfort me..." Jenna trailed off as she opened the door without turning the keys to unlock the door. That was strange, she could have sworn she locked her car up after lunch.

"Jenna? Everything okay?" Phil's worried tone seemed through the phone.

"Uhm, yah. I guess I didn't lock my car up after I got back from lunch", she mused more to herself than to Phil. It was strange, she was always so dutiful to locking it up tight.

"You always lock up you're car though", the tone of his voice had gone strangely serious.

"I must have forgotten, today has been a long day, I'm just goanna get in and head home", she shrugged as she tugged her keys out of the lock.

"Jenna...I don't want you to get in to that car. Close the door and walk as quickly back to your work as you can. I want you to go in there and sit at the security desk until I get there. I'm picking you up and having someone sweep over your car. I've never known you to not lock that car up, I'm not taking chances with you. If someone asks, tell them someone slashed your tires and you're waiting for a ride. Stay on the phone with me until you get inside", Phil spoke as he grabbed the clothes he had been wearing earlier that night.

The seriousness of situation was beginning to sink in as she quickly shut her door and threw her keys into her purse before grabbing it and walking briskly towards the research facility. Her heels clicking on the ground as she kept a brisk pace. She could feel eyes on her again, she looked around briefly before she sped up her pace, nearly jogging now. As she climbed the steps she grabbed the swipe badge from her pocket, prepared to head straight in. A loud sound came from somewhere down the street causing her to let out a small squeak. "Jenna?" Phil's voice came through the phone. He was currently tugging on his shoes with the phone on speaker.

"I'm fine, there was a loud noise that caught me off guard. I'm about to get inside the facility now", Jenna said breathlessly. She swiped her badge over the scanner and when the light flashed green, she pulled the door open quickly and walked through the door in a rush. She could see Mark over at the desk, she hoped she just looked cold. "I'm inside, the door closed behind me Phil. I'll see you soon, right?" she asked nervously as she smiled and waved at Mark.

"I should be there in 15 minutes. If something happens before I get there call me Jenna. I don't care if you're being paranoid or not, call me if something happens that sets you off", Phil spoke urgently. "I'll see you soon Jenna."

"Of course. Phil I...I'll see you soon, thank you", with that she hung up the phone and kept it in her hand as she made her way over to Marks desk. She gave him an awkward smile as she got closer. "Hey Mark, long time no see", she winked at him. The man behind the desk chuckled at her slightly.

"I know. What brought you back here so quickly, you haven't even been gone ten minutes? Forget something?" he asked with a smirk.

"I got to my car to find my tires slashed. I called my friend and am waiting for him to pick me up now. I thought it would be better to wait in here for him than out there", Jenna shrugged. She kept her hand to her chest, the phone clutched tightly. Mark nodded and motioned to the spare chair behind the security desk. She was slow to sit down and shifted nervously in the chair.

"Cold?" Mark asked with a raised eyebrow. All she could do was nod in response as she watched him walk towards the coffeemaker. "It's not the best coffee in the world, but it should help warm you up while you wait for your ride", Mark smiled at her as he pour some of the black liquid into a Styrofoam cup. The next couple of seconds felt like slow motion to the blond haired woman. A shot rang out, the front glass shattered and Mark was on the ground. A broken coffee pot laid beside him and both the blackish brown liquid and red blood flowed on the ground. Jenna quickly crawled under the desk dialed Phil again.

"Jenna? Everything okay, I'm ten minutes away?" his voice came out worried, but she didn't risk answering. She placed the phone under the desk as she heard boots approaching. She could hear someone running down the hall.

"Hey! What was that noise Mark? It sounded like a gun shot", and then another loud shot rang through the air and a body dropped to the ground. She had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from shrieking, she could feel tears threatening to spill over.

_Phil. Please get here quick. _

The next moment her leg was being grabbed and she was screaming bloody murder as she clawed at the ground. Then her world went black.

Phil had his gun out before he even got out of his car. He was shaking and had been since he had heard the line go silent. Agents would be swarming the scene in a matter of minutes and he could only pray to whatever god existed that they weren't to late. He ran up the stairs to the entrance, to find the glass pane shattered. He held up the gun as he stepped through where the glass had been and cleared his surroundings before pressing forward. The shattered glass crunching beneath his boots.

He made his way over to the two men that were bleeding out on the floor, a quick check showed they were both dead. He moved on to the desk where he saw a red handbag peeking out from underneath. He was relieved to not see her body there, but also even more terrified. One of her black heels laid a couple feet from her purse, along with the hair clip he remembered buying her a couple weeks ago. He picked up the clip and ran his thumb over the jewels and swirls in it. He stuffed it in his pocket as agents began to swarm in. He put his gun back in it's holster and moved to the side as he saw Fury walk up to him.

"Coulson, I thought I told you to lay low for a while, not end up calling me to a crime scene", Fury nearly barked at the smaller man.

"Sorry sir, but it was an emergency. Genevieve Reed called me early, claimed to feel like someone was watching her. I stayed on the phone with her until she got to her car, where she found out the door was unlocked. I instructed her to return back here until I was able to get here and retrieve her and also have a couple agents sweep her car. When I was about ten minutes away, I received another phone call from her. However she didn't respond, I heard gun fired and then her screaming. After that the line went silent. After that I put in for emergency backup, and continued on my way here. This is how I found the scene Director", Phil spoke professionally. Fury was looking around the scene as he spoke, he couldn't see how this would call for the interference of S.H.I.E.L.D. And who was this Genevieve Reed? And why did she call Coulson?

"Well the agents will look over the crime scene and hand it over to the locals, this isn't an affair for us Coulson. I don't even know why you called us and not the locals in on this", Fury stuck his hands in his pockets and stared the shorter man down. He didn't even seem phased by the stare.

"Jenna works here as one of the lead researchers on some project involving genetic modification. She is highly important and I promised her that I would protect her if anything were to happen, sir", Phil could feel his heart begin to race. He was going to get her back, with or without the Director's help. Fury raised an eyebrow when he heard the name Jenna fall from Coulson's mouth. Curiouser and curiouser.

"Jenna? Seems like you're on pretty familiar grounds with this woman. How would you know the project she's working on Coulson?" Fury's voice began to get sterner. Phil became rigid when he noticed the slip of the tongue.

"She told me about the job offer, I convinced her to take it. That's why I promised her I would protect her. I'm the reason she's in danger sir", Phil spoke stiffly. Fury grunted at his answer, not satisfied by it at all.

"Well this is in the hands of the locals now, we'll follow them on it. But leave the investigation to them Coulson. Let them do their jobs, and let my agents get back to doing theirs", Fury said before turning around quickly and walking away.

He paced his apartment living room back and forth, he had been doing so for thirty minutes now. It had been over 24 hours and still no word from the local Leos about Jenna. He was getting angrier and angrier as the seconds ticked by, with no word from anyone. He grabbed a book from the near by coffee table and threw it against the wall and cussed under his breath. His eyes landed on the news paper that had been hiding underneath the book. The pictures of the Avengers were on the front page and it caused him to leap into action.

Within three hours he was pulling up to the newly remodeled Avenger's building in New York. He was pretty sure Stark and everyone else still thought he was dead. Fury wanted to wait for things to calm down before telling them all that he survived. He parked his car and grabbed the packet that was in the passenger seat before climbing out and making his way into the building. Stark would either be pissed or happy to seem him, he didn't have time to deal with either version of him. With each second that ticked by, the better chance Jenna had at being killed. He took a deep breath as he pulled out a flash drive that would allow him to override the access to the elevator and J.A.R.V.I.S.

He pushed it into the keypad by the elevator and started downloading the files. Within a minute he knew Stark's location and the elevator was opening to him. "Hello J.A.R.V.I.S. Can you inform Stark of my arrival, I am sure he would like to through a welcome party", Phil spoke as he stepped into the elevator.

"Of course Agent Coulson. I will let him know. He should be at the elevator waiting for you by the time you arrive there, which should be in 59 seconds now", the AI spoke from the ceiling. Phil began to count the seconds and the moment he got to 59 the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open to reveal Tony in one of his suites, his palm open and aimed at him.

"Get off the elevator slowly and I wont blast you for impersonating a dead friend", Tony spoke with venom in his voice.

"Good to see you again too, Stark. Here I have a file for you, I don't care if you like to be handed things or not", Phil stepped passed the man in the suit while holding out the packet. Tony snatched the packet and the helmet rose to reveal his face.

"You died. How are you here?" Tony was now poking Phil in the side to see if he was real or just a figment of his imagination.

"It's a long story that we don't have time for. Someone I know is in danger and S.H.I.E.L.D. is leaving it to the locals to find her. I want the Avengers' help finding her before she gets killed. Quit poking me", Phil spoke while swatting Tony's hand away.

"A woman? You have a woman? I must have drank myself into an alternate universe. Hmm...she's pretty, a tiny little thing, the perfect height for you actually. Has a PhD in genetic and DNA stuff. Hmm...seems to me like any other scientist, except this one's got a pretty face. What's so special about her?" Tony asked flipping through the pages in the packet.

"She's my little sister."

**Author's note: Okay I apologize that it's so long. I promise that the other chapters wont be so long, it's just that I had a specific way I wanted to end this chapter and how I wanted to start the next one and I refused to make it seemed anymore rushed than it was. As always if you have any comments, tips, critiques, or song suggestions please leave a review!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Am I the only one I know  
Waging my wars behind my face and above my throat  
Shadows will scream that I'm alone

-Migraine, Twenty One Pilots

Jenna let them deposit her onto to bed and stick her with another needle. She lost count of how long she had been here, hoping someone would come and get her. At first she fought against them, refusing to make it easy for whoever these men were. Running experiment after experiment, treating her like a lab rat. But after a while, all fight left her and she let them do as they wanted. It got easier for all of them after that. Now her mind was getting fuzzy again, her eyes threatening to close on her. They gave her a sedative again. "Phil", she whispered as she let the medicine induced sleep take over.

The guards outside landed on the ground with thuds and arrows sticking out of their necks. "I still say we should have done it my way and just announced that the party was arriving", Tony spoke as he landed beside the man that had just taken down the outside guards in seconds. Clint shot a glare his way before standing up straight and making his way towards the entrance where a flurry of red white and blue met up with them, and a short agent following in tow. "Hey you decided to join the part after all Capcicle",Tony spoke while typing something in to the panel on the wall, earning a conjoined sigh from the whole group. In a matter of seconds, the doors were sliding open.

In a matter of minutes Tony was rushing into where the computers said they were keeping Dr. Reed captive. Hand raised and ready to blast anyone he saw that wasn't the blond haired doctor. When he got in the room, the only person he saw was Jenna Reed passed out cold on the bed. His helmet rose up as he rushed over to where she was, lightly shaking her. "Sir, it looks as if she is in a drug induced sleep to avoid being in extreme pain", J.A.R.V.I.S. informed him.

"She also looks like she's been through hell", Tony muttered to himself, "Hey, keep Coulson from coming in here, he shouldn't see her like this." He could see blue in the corner of his eye as he continued to have J.A.R.V.I.S. check her vitals. "She's stable enough that we can move her. If S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't been taken over we could have gotten to her sooner", Tony stood up. Steve just nodded his head as he placed his shield on his back and moved to rap the sheet around the small woman.

"Is she in there? Let me see her", Phil shouted as he tried to get around Clint.

"They're getting her, best to wait out here", Clint grabbed Phil's arm and pulled him away from the entrance. Phil had a look of defeat and sorrow on his face. He was worried by what that might mean. Soon enough Steve was coming out with someone wrapped up in a white sheet, his heart thumping loudly in his chest. "Don't worry, I heard Tony say she was stable enough to move", Clint let go of Phil's arm slowly. Clint could see the blond hair peeking out of the sheet, _She may be stable enough to move, but I highly doubt her mind is anywhere near stable at this point. _

Jenna could hear a beeping noise, a heart monitor she presumed. She was trying to remember when they retrieved her from her room. She opened her eyes slowly and lifted one of her hands to brush her hair from her face, instead a tugging sensation caught her attention. She lifted her hand to find and IV stuck in it, her heart began to race. _What are they doing now?_ She saw up and began to panic, she wasn't in the normal lab. This place looked to much like a hospital, they must being playing games on her now. She raised her hand to her face to find the oxygen tube and pulled it off and tossed it to the side. She scrambled to toss of the blankets and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She pulled the oxygen monitor off her finger, which caused a machine to alarm. She pulled the IV out quickly and then yanked the monitor pads off of her chest. More of the alarms were going off now, but she didn't care, they had cameras in here no doubt, so they already knew what she was doing. She heard footsteps running towards her room, she got out of the bed and rushed behind the curtain that could separate the room. _Pointless, they can see me. I've got to do something, it's one thing when they do experiments another when they play games with me. _

The door opened and what sounded like multiple people rushed into the room. She edged around the curtain before making a dash for the still open door. She came to a hospital like corridor and paused momentarily, they were going all out. She could here more running footsteps from around the corner and made a dash for the opposite direction, her bare feet slapping against the floor. She rounded a corner and stopped to catch her breath for a moment, her lungs screaming at her to stop. Her hand came up to her chest, she felt an odd thing there. She looked down and found the necklace she remembered wearing the day so long ago, the one they took from her because they thought it could be used as a weapon. She thought she would never see it again. She clutched it in her fist as she slid down the wall and started crying. She heard footsteps around the corner and knew she needed to get up and run again, but she couldn't find the energy to care if they got her and punished her again. She had a piece of home with her again.

"Jenna!?" a familiar voice called her name. _This can't be real. This can't be him. They must have found a way to make it seem like him. They must have..._ "God, I heard you were missing from your room. I thought that you... Jenna", arms wrapped around her and pulled her to a chest. She inhaled a shaking breath, it smelled like him. It was him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and started crying again.

"Phil. You found me, you found me", Jenna cried into his chest and clung to his shirt. She heard more footsteps and became tense and began to scoot away from the direction they footsteps were coming from. She quickly wiped away the tears obstructing her view, her heart beat speeding up. Phil held a confused look on his face until realization hit him, part of her was still trapped in that room. A man with short dirty blond hair turned the corner and stood behind Phil. He wore what looked like a black hunters vest to Jenna and a black shirt beneath it and faded jeans. "Guys you can quit looking for her, she's right here", he called behind himself with a bored look on his face. _They're looking for me, they found me...I have to get out of here._

She began crawling backwards, panic written on her face. _They'll kill Phil. I have to warn him. I have to warn... _Clint could see the panic forming in the green eyes of the young woman, she was going to run again, so he stepped forward with his hands out in front of him. He saw her freeze in terror and then the next sequence of events went by in a flash.

"No!" Jenna shouted put her arm out in an attempt to swat him away, even though he wasn't even close enough for her to reach. The cleaning cart by the wall however suddenly shot from it's spot and jammed into his legs knocking him off balance. Her eyes widened as she looked at her hand before jumping to her feet and darting down the hallway again, Phil's voice calling after her. She didn't get far when she ran in a dark haired man that had a beard and a taller and bulkier blond haired man. Her eyes widened in fear as she they both caught her arms to keep her from falling. She heard footsteps come up behind causing her to try to wrench her arms from the men. "Let me go!" she shouted, her voice vibrating in her ears. The two men in front of her winced before looking at each other with concern.

"Yo, Phil. I thought you said she knew she was your sister? Are you sure she doesn't think you're some stalker dude?" the dark haired man asked with an eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face. Phil? She whipped her head around to see Phil coming up to them and bending over at the waist to put his hands on his knees as he breathed. The blond from earlier following at a jog behind him, not even winded.

"She's just startled. Jenna, these are my friends. They helped me to find you and to rescue you. You know of the Avengers. This is them", Phil approached her cautiously, afraid he may startle her again. She looked at the four men before her again, her heart beat slowly down.

"I don't like this place", Jenna whispered to Phil. He placed his hands on her arms carefully and gave a look to Tony and Steve that made them let go of her arms.

"It's a hospital, you have to stay here a couple days until the doctors clear you. They have to run tests to make sure you're okay", Phil spoke slowly. _Tests..._ Jenna went rigid again and began to back away shaking her head.

"No tests, no tests, no needles, no scanning. No tests, no no no", she was rubbing her arms now as she backed up, prepared to run again. They were watching her carefully, ready to grab her if need be. However Clint stepped forward and around Phil with his hands in front of him.

"Jenna, right?", he question and received a nod, "You don't like tests, I understand. So if you come me, we'll find you a change of clothes and we'll leave. Go somewhere far away from the doctors and their tests." He spoke slowly, trying to not frighten her anymore than she already was. Coulson was approaching this wrong, he may be her brother, however he could understand where she was coming from...somewhat. He may have never been trapped in a lab for over a month, with only God knows what happening to him, but he understood the panic after returning back from something. He had been trapped in his mind because of Loki at one point and still suffered nightmares from it. He could see a skeptical and calculating look in her bright green eyes. He stopped a couple feet away from her and opened his arms up to her and waited for her to make the move. She had to make the first move.

Slowly she took a step forward and looked into his eyes. They were a deep blue and she could see understanding hiding beneath them. She took another slow step forward. _He knows the terror._ She took a couple more steps forward until she was within reach. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and turned her to face the other three men, who were currently giving him a bewildered look. Aside from Tony who had an amused look on his face. Clint glared at him before speaking, "If you keep staring like that you'll freak her out." He walked her past them and started back towards her room. He saw her give her brother a glance but kept walking.

It had been a hassle getting her out of the hospital. At one point Clint had left to go to his car and came back with his to-go bag in hand. He handed her some clothes and instructed her to get dressed in them instead of pacing back and forth in her room. He, along with everyone else in the room, nearly busted out laughing when she came out of the bathroom in his clothes. They were huge on her, it was almost like she was being swallowed alive by them. Clint had made her sit on the bed while he rolled the pant legs up so she wouldn't trip on them. She was quiet while he did so, she seemed to be far away, he was worried that she was reliving something that happened in the lab.

The lab. Something happened there that caused the telekinesis, there was nothing in her file that made him believe she could do it before. From the look on her face when it happened she didn't know either. _What did they do to her?_ They would eventually have to run tests to figure out what they altered in her, to know if it was dangerous for her or anyone else. They would probably have Banner do it instead of coming to a place like this. However, for now the goal was to get her to the Avengers' tower without her freaking out again.

Phil kept looking at her with a concerned expression, but didn't bring up the incident in the hallway. The car ride to the tower had been quiet and now the elevator ride seemed to go on forever. Jenna seemed to be unaware of this as she rocked back and forth on her bare feet, she had refused to put on the sneakers Clint had handed her at the hospital. "Is she always this fidgety?" Tony mumbled to Phil.

"Not in the time that I've known her", Phil whispered back as Jenna abruptly stopped.

"I can hear you two, I hope you know", Jenna said over her shoulder, causing Steve and Clint to snicker.

"Now that...she's always been able to do", Phil laughed as well.

"Sir. Dr. Banner is waiting for your arrival in the common area of the living quarters. Estimated time of arrival is 23 seconds", the AI spoke from the ceiling, sending Jenna into a petrified state.

"Doctor? I don't want to see any doctors that's why we left that place. No doctors", she was shaking her head back and forth and backing away from the elevator doors. Her back came into contact with a chest instead of the elevator wall, and the person it belonged to didn't move.

"Dr. Banner is a scientist and he isn't here to run any tests on you. He's a part of the Avengers, he just wants to meet you, since you'll be staying here for a bit", Clint rested his hands on her shoulders, "Slow down your breathing, you'll make yourself pass out."

Jenna hadn't even realized she had been hyperventilating and closed her eyes to concentrate. _Inhale, hold... exhale. Inhale, hold... exhale. Inhale, hol..._

_Ding!_

Her eyes shot open to find the elevator doors opening and a man with unkempt, curly brown hair standing there awkwardly. He gave a wave with his hand before sticking it back in his pants pocket. He seemed just as awkward as she did, which calmed her nerves a bit. Clint guided her forward slowly, making sure not to go to fast. Having her flip out on the 30-something floor was not a good idea.

"Jenna this is Dr. Banner. Dr. Banner this Dr. Genevieve Reed", Phil stepped forward and introduced them. However her body went rigid again, whether it was from Banner being introduced as doctor or the fact that she had been, Clint wasn't exactly sure. However he knew that they needed to quit using that word, she was beginning to hyperventilate again.

"Uhm, Coulson. I don't want to sound rude but...I don't think introducing people with the word doctor is very helpful at the moment. Even if it's a scientist. Remember how she flipped out in the hospital room when her physician came in?" Clint squeezed Jenna's shoulder's gently before stepping away. "How about we let them introduce themselves?" He could swear that Phil was now giving him a dirty look, but didn't bother looking at him. He had been acting differently since Jenna was taken, not that he could blame him, but it was different. Not seeing a professional sounding Agent Coulson was strange.

Bruce stood there awkwardly watching the unspoken exchange between the two men before stepping towards Jenna whose breathing was beginning to slow down again. "You can just call me Bruce. It's nice to meet you...Ms. Reed?" he offered his hand out to her to shake, unsure if it was the right call or not. The young woman stared at his hand a moment before slowly extending her own and grabbing it.

"Jenna. My name is Jenna."


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Thank you Avengers' movie! It solved my music block. I was having trouble trying to find the correct song for this chapter, and a song started up during the credits. And boom! I knew it was the song I needed. So if anyone wants to suggest songs or music artists I should listen to, whether they may or may not be relevant to the story. Please please let me know. It might just help. And of course if I use the artist/song in a chapter, I will give credit to the person who suggested it.**

What if all you understand  
Could fit into the center of our hand?  
Then you found it wasn't you  
Who held the sum of everything you knew  
-Live to Rise, Soundgarden

Jenna had been in the Avengers' tower for two...maybe three weeks now. She was perfectly content with staying inside it and not leaving as well. At some point, she can't recall when, but her brother had to leave on urgent matters and would phone when he got the chance. Currently she was in the elevator heading up to the gym, rocking back and forth on her feet, still refusing to wear any shoes. She on purposely argued with Pepper like she was a child so that she wouldn't bring it up again. She knew she was being difficult and was making it seem like she had gone insane, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She didn't want to wear shoes and she wasn't going to. It was also entertaining to watched the others react to her childlike behavior and the bewildered expression when she acted her age. So, maybe she was going a little insane, but she hadn't broken so much to the point that she acted like child because of it.

Pepper had insisted that they get her real clothes, currently she was wearing sweatpants and a white tee-shirt that actually fit. It was really the only thing she had in her wardrobe at the moment, she had a sneaking suspicion that it was Pepper's attempt to force her out of the tower to get more clothes. She shrugged her shoulders at her own thought and walked out of the elevator and down the hall to the gym. Clint had introduced Natasha to her a week ago and she had taken to the red head quickly. She enjoyed watching Natasha spar against the other men, and was set on watching her again. However as she arrived at the mats she only found Clint there stretching out.

She sat down by the edge of them and quietly watched, wondering if Natasha was going to show. "You know it's impolite to stare", he called over his shoulder. Jenna stared for a moment before smiling.

"So I've been told. I'm just watching, it's harmless. I thought you actually preferred to watch things Birdie", Jenna simply smiled at him when he shot a glare at her. He really didn't like the nickname she chose to give him, but he chose not to argue.

"Beside the point. Natasha wont be here today. I decided that since you seem so interested in watching her spar, that I could teach you a few things", Clint turned around and walked over to her. She had a confused expression on her face, it was cute. He offered his hand to her, to help her up. He decided last night after talking to Natasha that he would teach Jenna a few things. He would be just as stubborn as she was just to get her to do it. Clint was hoping that this might be something that could help her...and help everyone reach her. Jenna was currently staring blankly at his hand, as if it was a foreign object.

"...I think I'll pass. Exercise isn't really my style", Jenna's face never changed from the blank look. It made him wonder if all other facial expressions had been forced.

"Mm...I don't care. Up. You're going to exercise with me today, whether it's your style or not. Up", he shook his hand in front of her, trying to get her to grab it. He knew the chances of getting her to join him today were slim, but he would eventually. He sighed as she just continued to stare at his hand, not even twitching a muscle. "Fine, watch. But don't think for a second you're getting out of it", Clint sighed and walked off the mats and to the gym equipment. He told her to watch, and watch she did. Until she got bored that is, at which point he was lifting weights. Jenna stood up and waved as she left, Clint pausing in his lifting momentarily. He was determined to get her involved in something distracting, and exercising was very distracting.

Jenna was currently laying on the sofa in the common room, tossing an apple in the air repeatedly. Tony had thrown it at her earlier when she came back from the gym, now she had an apple and wasn't hungry. He'd been throwing things at her repeatedly since they came from the hospital. She assumed it had something to do with what happened in the hall with Clint and Phil, but since it was Tony there was no way to be sure. The phone that Tony had given her started ringing causing her to toss the apple a little to high. When it began falling, it was going straight towards her head. She meant to grab it but instead it went flying over the back of the sofa and into a vase. The crashing noise of the glass hitting the floor caused her to let out a yelp. Her heart was racing, almost drowning out the phone ringing.

She sat up and grabbed the phone quickly, "H-hello?"

"Jenna? Is everything alright? It's Phil", her brother's voice came through the phone. She paused a moment to slow down her breathing and heart rate, she was fine.

"Yes, yes. I'm alright. The phone startled me, I ended up making a mess", Jenna continued to stare at the vase and apple skeptically. She could hear the rush of footsteps coming from down the hall, most likely Tony.

"Okay. I don't really have a lot of time to talk at the moment, but I thought I would call you to see how you were holding up", Phil's voice held concern as he spoke.

"I'm okay. I thought that since S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, that meant you were no longer an agent", Jenna's eyes never traveled from the broken vase, not even as Tony came in the room in full Iron Man gear.

"Ah...it does. I'm just doing Fury a favor... We will talk about it when I get back, but I have to go. I'll call you again later, Jenna", Phil's voice sound distracted.

"Okay, well Iron Man just came in. I'm going to see if I can get his autograph before he starts questioning me about the mess", Jenna hung up without waiting for a goodbye from her brother and just stared at Tony. The mask of his helmet slid up revealing a very confused Tony Stark. He looked from the apple to the vase, back to the apple and then to Jenna, his mouth slightly agape. She didn't say anything, she simply waited for him to gain the usage of his words again.

"Did you not like the vase, or was it the apple you disliked?" he asked her. She smiled and shrugged at him. Then he broke into a grin before speaking to J.A.R.V.I.S. again, "J.A.R.V.I.S. I want the footage of Jenna when this happened and also send put in an order for a new vase. Make sure it gets here before Pepper returns." With that he walked off, leaving Jenna and the broken vase in the room alone. She sighed before standing up and started hunting for a broom and dust pan, avoiding the area where the pieces laid strewn.

Clint walked in to the common area, towel thrown over his shoulder and stopped dead in his tracks. Before him was a scene he couldn't quite understand. Jenna was currently on the floor pressing something to her right hand, a broom, dustpan and trash bin where beside her and pieces of a vase strewn about. He looked to the broken vase and saw the apple near by and drops of blood as well. Drops of...blood? He rushed over and knelt beside her, taking her hand. She had been pressing her shirt to her palm, now the white was stained a deep red. The cut was deep and he couldn't figure out how it happened. Even if she had been picking up the larger pieces with her hands and got cut, it shouldn't have been so deep. He noticed a few other cuts, much smaller and shallower, one even cut across her cheek, blood running down freely.

"Jenna, what happened? Jenna?" Clint wasn't answered. When he looked at her face, her eyes were glazed over and a look of permanent shock was written all over her. She was back there...she was back in the lab. "J.A.R.V.I.S. Where's Bruce at?" Clint asked as he took the towel of his shoulder and wrapped it tightly around Jenna's hand. First thing's first, they needed to get the bleeding stopped and the cuts treated. Then he would ask Tony for the video feed, he needed to know if she did this herself.

"He is currently the lab on floor 31 with Mr. Stark. If you wish to get her there fast, I suggest the stairs. You will get her there 11.2 seconds faster, even if you are carrying her. Do you wish for me to inform them of your visit?" the AI's voice came through the ceiling. Clint thought for a second as he saw the white towel stain red... _Why is she bleeding so much?_

"Yes, do that. Jenna...Jenna can you walk?" again no response. He grabbed her uninjured hand and placed it over the towel, as if on instinct she was putting pressure on it again, just like she had been doing when he came in. Then without much more thought he lifted her in his arms and practically ran to the stairwell.

When he got to the lab, Bruce was already rushing over to them, a first aid kit in hand. Clint set her down on the closest, empty lab table and took her bleeding hand from her again. Her gaze was unnerving, it was as if she was staring through him. He brushed her hair from her face, some of it was red from the blood on her cheek. _What happened to her there?_

"Take the towel off her hand", Bruce spoke while opening the kit, not even looking at Clint. Tony on the other hand was staring curiously at Clint, one eyebrow raised in question. Clint quickly took it off, the blood gushing from the wound and dripping onto her sweats. He only moved and let go of her hand when Bruce pushed him out of the way. "Clint I need to give her something to help stop the bleeding...I don't know how she'll react when she sees it though. I need you hold her, I don't need her thrashing or running off. It'll cause her to loose more blood", Bruce had grabbed something from the kit and turned his back to Jenna. He nodded quietly and hopped up on the table and positioned himself behind her. He wrapped one arm around her chest and made sure was gripping the uninjured arm. He then gripped the injured arm in his other hand, pinning down her arms. He made sure he had her wrist in his hand and that his head was to the side. He didn't want the woman headbutting hit face.

When Bruce turned around he kept on hand out of sight as he set down a vile, "Tony use the cloth and alcohol wipe to clean up her palm as much as possible, I have to inject this in the wound itself."Tony nodded. The moment the alcohol wipe ran across her wound, she let out a hiss and began squirming. She was coming back to them, which was a slight relief but also a concern. She might freak when she sees the needle. Clint tightened his grip around her shoulders slightly and pulled her more firmly against his chest. He would actually like the fact he was holding her, if it wasn't for the fact that he was holding her to keep her from fighting at the moment. "Clint, make sure she doesn't kick me", Bruce gave Jenna a skeptical look. He didn't really feel like getting kicked anywhere painful. She may be shoeless but that didn't mean it would hurt any less if she got him in the groin. Clint sighed locked her legs with his. Jenna was going to kill him after this, heck Phil might kill him after this if he learned he had to hold her.

Bruce kept one hand behind his back as he came to stand in front of Jenna the other grabbing her injured hand. It happened fast. The needle came out from behind his back, Jenna began to attempt to fight against Clint and then the needle was in the wound. A cry escaped Jenna's lips and she went ridged while the needle was in, after Bruce finished and stepped away, she was fighting against Clint again. Bruce was now considering using a sedative on the woman to get her to calm down. Clint watched Bruce go back to the kit and rummage through it, getting another syringe and vile, while he held Jenna. "Jenna...it's okay. It's us. Bruce had to give you something to help stop the bleeding. You've already lost a lot of blood. Jenna...it's Clint", he whispered desperately in her ear. He wanted her to calm down on her own...she would hate them if she was given another sedative. "Jenna...if you don't calm down...I'll force you to join me on the mats tomorrow. I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy training though...", Clint kept talking, about anything that came to mind. He knew he was rambling at this point, but Jenna was calming down quickly. Finally she slumped against him, her shoulders shaking slightly. Bruce had the needle ready, just in case, but seemed relieved at the sight of her being tired. "Bruce has to clean up the wound and has to put stitches in it, okay? It might hurt a little, but I promise he's just tending to the wound", Clint felt inclined to tell her what was going on.

Her breathing was harsh and she was now leaning heavily back against Clint, but she nodded in response none the less. He sighed and felt his muscles relax slightly. Bruce nodded at Clint as he set the needle down and began getting what he needed.

Jenna had passed out thirty minutes after Bruce gave her some pain medication. They had to put stitches on the cut on her cheek as well, the other cuts though just needed to be cleaned. Clint was actually relieved when he saw the familiar tape get pulled out instead of the wiry stitches. He felt like that would have caused another wave of fighting from the woman who was currently in his arms. He sighed as he and Tony stepped off the elevator and made their way to Jenna's room. He was going to have to wake her up so that she could change out of her bloody clothes. "I reviewed the video feed while you and Bruce were busy tending to her", Tony finally spoke. He had been quiet since Clint arrived in the lab, which was unusually strange for the egotistical man. Clint raised an eyebrow at him as they reached her door, waiting for him to continue. Tony didn't say any more, just opened the door quietly and held it open for them. "Join me for a drink once she's settled", with that he turned and left the room.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Well she lives in a fairy tale  
Somewhere too far for us to find  
Forgotten the taste and smell  
Of a world that she's left behind  
It's all about the exposure the lens I told her  
The angles are all wrong now  
She's ripping wings off of butterflies

-Brick by Boring Brick, Paramore

Clint had watched the video feed five times already, still trying to process what he had been watching. She had cut her thumb on a piece of the broken vase when she went into an episode, a flashback. The shattered pieces began to lift and move until finally it was flying around her, cutting into her skin, she had lifted her hand to stop a larger piece, and it sunk into her palm. The pieces of the vase suddenly froze in place for a second before dropping to the ground suddenly. She pulled the piece out and threw it into the trash before putting pressure to her palm, her eyes wide in terror. She had been like that for a minute until Clint had came in. Tony had also showed the feed from shortly before that as well, from when the vase first broke.

Clint was now concerned, there hadn't been a single incident since the hospital, why was there a sudden spike now? Tony was just as concerned as well. "I wonder if there's a way to teach her to control it...I don't exactly know anyone with the same abilities as her. And with S.H.I.E.L.D. gone, I can't hack their files to find someone. Natasha didn't exactly spill those secrets onto the web", Tony said while sipping some scotch from his glass. The scotch glass he had set down in front of Clint, still remained untouched.

"I know. Bruce might be able to teach her a few things about general mental control, if he ever comes out of the lab. I'm going to try to get her to actually work out when she's in the gym, instead of watching. I think we should give her some time though, today was...rough to say the least", Clint slowly set down the tablet that he had been watching the feed on. He grabbed the scotch glass and threw back the drink, earning him a glare from Tony.

"It's meant to be sipped", Tony grumbled while pouring both of them some more. He eyed the archer carefully, making sure he drank it correctly.

"I know", Clint spoke while taking a sip to show him, " We're going to have to convince her to let Bruce draw some blood to run tests. It's possible that the sudden increase in telekinetic abilities could be related to the thinning of her blood." It was a grim topic, however it wasn't the only thing he could think off. Could this also be related to what she had been working on? He knew that Jenna had been working on genetic modification. What if her research got out? What if it really was as dangerous as Coulson had thought? _She's still in danger._ Clint felt the sudden urge to protect her. She hadn't asked for any of this, she didn't want to even do the research according to Coulson, she was talked into. She was innocent and now she was paying for something she never wanted. Clint was gripping the scotch glass tightly in his hand, if he didn't let up soon, the glass would break and they would have more glass on the ground.

"Earth to Hawk. You there? You should not be copying Jenna by breaking my glass", Tony waved his hand in front of Clint's face. Finally grounding the archer, bring him out of his thoughts. Clint was shocked at himself, but shook it off.

"Sorry, I haven't slept in a while and after the incident with Jenna I'm exhausted. I should probably get to bed", Clint spoke while setting his glass down on the table. He stood up and stretched his arms before heading off towards his room, waving at Tony without looking back. "G'night." Clint didn't wait for a response and kept walking before coming to a stop in front of Jenna's door. He contemplated checking on her for a moment, before opening her door and sticking his head in the room. She was sound asleep on the bed, her bandaged hand lifted above her head on the pillow. He smiled before closing his door and continuing on to his room.

The next couple days were concerning to everyone, Jenna had become even more childlike, retreating from the world around her. Tony was actually considering bringing in a therapist, when he wouldn't even see one. He was watching her still the oatmeal in her bowl with a sour look on her face, she was glaring at her food. At least he could knock oatmeal off the list of foods to feed her now. How did he end up on babysitting duty? He shook his head and sighed. "Normally I would encourage playing with your food, but you're not even doing that. So go get your shoes on and your coat, we're going somewhere", Tony stood and made his way over to the blond haired woman. She scrunched her face up in disgust as she looked up at him.

"I don't wanna go anywhere. I don't like wearing shoes either", Jenna's voice was very childlike as she spoke. Tony picked up her bowl and headed for the sink.

"I don't care what you want or what you don't like. You either put your shoes on yourself _or_ I'll get Clint to hold you down and I'll put your shoes on for you. Oh don't get to brush your hair, it's a mess", Tony spoke in a bored tone. He felt like a father ordering his kid around. It made him shudder inside, he was a big enough kid on his own, he didn't need any in his tower. He heard a huff and some shuffling, when he turned around, Jenna was gone. Well, he found a way to get her to leave the house. Don't ask, just tell. Pepper was going to throw a fit when she found out he got her to leave the tower without a fuss. He smirk, tonight at dinner was going to be interesting. He couldn't wait to see everyone's faces.

Soon enough Tony was in the driver's seat, with a grumbling Jenna in the passenger seat. He was glad to be getting out of the tower and he was hoping that Jenna would realize what she had been missing out on soon enough to. As he pulled out of his parking garage, Tony could help but to notice her constantly shifting her feet around. He really wanted to know what her deal was with her feet. First things first, finding food she would eat. Second, finding her clothes that aren't sweats and tee-shirts.

He was trying not to laugh at the face she was making as he held up a pink dress. It was even better than the face she made when he held up a pair of shoes earlier. "No", Jenna spoke while turning around and shifting through a rack. He put it back where he found it and crossed his arms as he watched her search through the clothes with no enthusiasm. He looked around the store, it really wasn't her style, even he had to admit that. These clothes seemed to revealing, especially for her, plus he doubted they had her size.

"Come on. Time to go to the next store", Tony grabbed her arm, ignoring the whining sound that came from her. She made it every time someone touched her, he was use to it by now. He pulled her through out of the store and through the mall, to the next one. It looked to be one of the more, locally owned or smaller chain stores. Maybe they would find something here, he was determined to throw out he sweats. As he began sifting through the clothes, he noted the odd 40s style to them. Of course they had some modern twist to them, but they still reminded him of Rogers. He couldn't help but wonder if her shopped here. He was about to tell Jenna that they would be going to the next store, doubting she would wear anything here, but turned to find her holding a blue button up dress up. _Then again, she does seem to be a very modest woman._

By the time they were leaving the mall, they had already stopped by his car twice to drop things off. He was proud to see Jenna smiling and tired. They had also stopped at one of the hair salons, he insisted on her getting her hair cut. She had begrudgingly agreed and sat through the lady cutting and styling her hair. Her hair was in beautiful blond curls, his first thought was that Clint need to watch out, Steve might end up making a move on her before he did. She had gotten two button up dresses that had sashes around the waist, three casual skirts and blouses, two dresses that had matching jackets and belts, and finally a couple dress he had insisted on. Of course to much of her dismay, they also got matching shoes at a near by shoe store.

Tony felt like playing spy when they got to the tower, recruiting Happy to help him. He wanted to get Jenna and all of her things to her room without anyone seeing them. The moment they were in the elevator she was taking her shoes and socks off, he couldn't help but to laugh at her. "I guess being barefoot will help you be quiet. But at dinner you're wearing shoes for once", Tony looked down at her laughing when she sent him a glare. She was slowly becoming the woman from before the incident with the vase. Maybe part of her from before was coming back as well, now that he had gotten her out of the tower. When the elevator came to a stop, he peeked his head out and looked around before motioning them to follow, both Happy and Jenna watching him as if he were crazy. They looked at one another before following, not bothering to copy his dramatic looking around. Finally making it to her room without seeing anyone, they were ushered inside by Tony just as footsteps were coming down the hall. Tony handed the bags he was holding off to Happy and pulled her door closed.

He turned to the direction that the footsteps were coming from and waited with the most innocent face he could muster. The person that rounded the corner was Phil, with an extremely worried face. "Where is she?" he asked urgently, almost angrily.

"Who?" Tony asked with mock confusion and innocence. It fooled no one.

"You know who. My sister. I got back a couple hours ago and no one knew where either of you were. She never leaves the tower, where is she?" Phil glared at him, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh, Jenna. The woman who can move apples with her mind. She's in her room taking a nap before dinner. You know how children are. Best to leave her alone, she gets cranky when people waking her up before her nap is over", Tony smiled at Phil as he draped his arm over his shoulder and steered him away from Jenna's room. Phil gave him a skeptical look, unsure as to whether or not he should believe him or not. He pulled his cell phone out and sent a quick text to Natasha.

_Jenna's in her room. Just went shopping for clothes that aren't sweatpants. Help her with makeup, tonight we celebrate her first outing. Make sure she puts on shoes. _

Jenna had her arms cross over her chest as Natasha was holding up a dress and heels in front of her, for her to wear. The red head had betrayed her to Tony. She had shown up ten minutes ago with a bag of makeup in one hand and an empty trash bag in the other. At first the trash bag had been confusing to Jenna, but the moment she started throwing the sweatpants and shirts into she understood. Natasha was under orders from Tony. "Come on Jen. Put them on and let me do your makeup. Tony wants to celebrate the fact you left the tower for the first time and I bet everyone would love to see you in something other than sweatpants", Natasha waved the clothes in front of Jenna.

"How can you do my makeup when I have a big cut on my cheek?" Jenna asked instead of taking the clothes. She knew the moment she took off the sweats to change, they would be thrown into the trash bag, leaving her with only pajamas as the most comfortable thing in her wardrobe. Natasha sat down beside her with a sigh.

"Look. Most of your cuts and injuries are healed up, barely noticeable. The main part about the cut on your cheek is that it's slightly bruised, I can cover that up easily. If it helps, I'll let you you keep two pairs of sweatpants and shirts. It'll be our little secret", the red haired woman smiled at Jenna. Natasha couldn't help but let the softer side of herself show around Jenna. She knew that the assassin in her, would just scare off the blond woman.

Jenna sighed and looked at the woman for a moment before standing up and grabbing the blue button up dress from her. "Fine, I'm not wearing the shoes though."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Oh, Miss Believer, my pretty sleeper  
Your twisted mind is like snow on the road  
Your shaking shoulders prove that it's colder  
Inside your head than the winter of dead

Oh Ms Believer, Twenty One Pilots

Jenna mumbled to herself as she walked behind Natasha. She felt awkward and exposed in the dress and heels, with her hair and makeup done. She can't run in heels, she didn't like shoes because they made it harder. Couldn't they understand that without her telling them? She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her hands over her arms. She felt a strand of her hair that was over her shoulder and pulled on it slightly. Natasha had decided to go with the theme of her clothes and pulled her blonde curls into low side ponytail, even commenting on how her and Steve could be related. It wasn't her fault that she liked older clothing...

Jenna froze when she could hear laughter from the dinning room, she didn't want to be seen like this. There was also another voice out there...one she couldn't place, she didn't like strangers. Didn't Tony realize that earlier today? Her heart began racing and her breathing increased as she stood frozen in the hallway. The urge to run and hide slowly began to overwhelm her. She looked up to see Natasha staring at her in a concerned manner, then a look of knowing. Before Natasha could reach out to stop her, Jenna was turning and running towards the stairs. Natasha cursed in Russian underneath her breath. She didn't bother following after the blonde woman, instead she turned back towards the dinning room and continued making her way there.

She bypassed Tony, ignoring his question regarding Jenna and went to Clint instead. The man looked up at her with a curious expression when she approached, before taking a quick look around and realizing Jenna wasn't with her. It was an unspoken message and it caused Clint to jump to his feet and run out of the room. Everyone looking after him curiously and then back at Natasha, no one except her understanding what happened.

Clint first checked her room and found it empty and then his just in case, afterward, standing in the middle of the hall worried and confused. _Think, think...where would she go, if she didn't want to be found. _An idea struck him. The gym. And with that he made his way to the stairs access and ran up them.

When he ran through the doors of the gym and to the mats, he didn't expect to find Jenna dressed the way she was. The blue dress actually fit her small frame better than the sweats ever had and the way she was sitting was so ladylike, it seemed odd. Her legs were crossed at her ankles and were tucked neatly under the bench she was sitting on. He approached her slowly and quietly, worried he would scare her off. He nearly laughed when he realized she had actual shoes on and that they were heels none the less. She certainly lived a different life before now. When he got closer, it became obvious to her that she was no longer alone, causing her to look up at him with wide eyes. She was breathtakingly beautiful with her hair and makeup done this way, dressed this way. How hadn't he realized just how beautiful she was before now.

"Clint..." Jenna's voice sounded confused, her green eyes still wide. He knelt beside the woman and took her hand and gave the gentlest smile he could. His talents weren't in smiling or coming off as caring, but Jenna never seemed to care.

"So you ran off, you didn't even have time to think about taking your shoes off. What in the world would be so important that you wouldn't take your shoes off?" Clint smirked at her, in turn earning a glare from her. He just laughed at the look on her face. "Come on, look at those shoes. I mean red heels? Seriously? Pepper couldn't even get you into regular sneakers and here you are actually wearing bright red heels."

Jenna stuck her tongue out at him as she snatched her hand back and crossed her arms over her chest. The anxiety from earlier, disappearing slowly. She didn't care if she came off as childlike at the moment, if it meant her heart would quit racing. "Seriously though...why are you wearing all of this?" Clint chuckled at her, never moving from his kneeling position beside her.

"Tony", came the one word answer from her. At first he thought Tony had come in, before it dawned on him that Tony had been watching her today. So maybe Tony looking after her wasn't the best thing in the world if it meant her getting makeovers. He couldn't understand the choice of clothing though. "He took me shopping. There was a store in the mall that all these clothes that seemed to be out of the 1940s. I love clothing like that. So he made me get clothes...then forced me to get shoes. At least all of the shoes I can easily slip on or off, unlike the sneakers that I have to tie", Jenna was now rambling, causing him to smile. Clint had yet to see her talk this much before, but he did have to admit, the older styled clothing suited her.

"So...Why are you in here...hiding?" he finally interrupted her rambling, getting straight to the point. She became silent and looked him straight in the eyes, never looking away. Something had changed in her today, shopping with Tony.

"I got scared", she whispered holding eye contact with him, "I feel exposed and vulnerable like this. Then I heard someone in the dinning room that I've never heard before, I felt like I needed to run. I've felt like that all day, out there." Out there, must have been when she was shopping, he mused. Yet, she didn't until now. His eyebrows furrowed together, trying to think of who she heard that she hadn't met yet. Then realization struck him and he busted out laughing.

"Thor. You heard Thor. He's loud, but he's also dumb. He's an Avenger just like the rest of us, so if anything were to happen he would protect you", Clint gave her a real smile this time. Jenna couldn't help but notice that it made his face seem softer and like years had peeled off of him. He was hiding just like her and that thought made her heart clench, it made her sad. She wanted to touch his face, to feel it now that it looked softer, but she held herself back. That would be inappropriate of her.

She took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling, her lips parting slightly and drawing Clint's eyes to them. "I guess", she began, slightly unsure, "we should get back up there." She looked back to him and forced a smile as she stood up. He stood up with her, slightly surprised by the turn of events. He thought he would have had to convince her back up there, but somehow she was doing it on her own. _Maybe spending time with Tony is a good thing...as long as he doesn't begin to rub off on her._

The elevator dinged and Jenna stepped off first, Clint following closely behind and guiding her with his hand on her back. She was currently twisting her hands in front of her, in a worrying fashion. She took a deep breath and held her head up high as he guided her to the dinning room, where loud voices and laughter seeped from. She stopped right outside of it, her head spinning as Clint looked at her with an eyebrow raised before heading in there without her. She had to do this on her own apparently. With another deep breath she slowly walked in, keeping her head up and hands in front of her. Her heels clicked against the floor, gaining the rooms attention and making her freeze momentarily. There was Pepper and Tony, Bruce, Steve and Natasha, the man she presumed was Thor and a young woman beside him. She felt like panicking, until she laid her eyes on Clint and instead smiled at everyone shyly. She waved her hand at everyone before beginning to play with her hair, "Hi everyone. Sorry I'm late."

Tony was slightly surprised to actually see her with heels on, having thought that she would up without any shoes like usual. But his reaction wasn't anything compared to Pepper's or Steve's for that matter. Pepper was hitting him on the shoulder and asking him if she was imagining this. Which in turn he repeatedly assured her Jenna was standing before them dressed like this and wearing shoes. Now Steve...his face was priceless. His eyes were wide and lips slightly parted, his cheeks were dusted pink and darkening by the second. _Yep, just as I thought. If Clint isn't careful, Steve is going to snatch her up when he isn't looking._

After the moment of silence and shock from a majority of the room, people began moving fast. Namely Thor. One moment Jenna was standing awkwardly in front of everyone playing with her hair the next, Thor was scooping her up in a hug while introducing his self. A squeak had escaped her lips the moment her feet were lifted off the ground, her mind rushing to try to catch up with the events. The woman who was standing by the large man a moment ago was rushing over to him and trying to get him to put her down, along with Clint and Steve rushing to her rescue as well. The moment she was back on her feet she stumbled backwards into a body, she was to confused to care who it was at the moment. Her face showed how confused and weird-ed out she was.

"Sorry about him, he's not exactly use to our customs yet. I'm Jane Foster and this is obviously Thor", Jane extended her hand to Jenna. Bruce had cornered her earlier and had explained avoiding the term doctor at all cost, afraid of setting Jenna off. So here Jane was, smiling and doing as he said, not wanting to scare off this sweet looking woman. Jenna took her hand and stumbled with her words, still trying to comprehend what had just happened, when someone else entered the dinning room. Someone she did know.

"Phil! Your back!" Jenna caught his attention quickly and smiled at him, still forgetting about the person she had crashed into. Phil smiled at seeing her more like herself, he remembered the first time he met her. She had been wearing something similar at that time as well, a more form fitting dress that day and her hair in a similar fashion as well. In his mind, it was she who was back. She went to lift her hand to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear, when she realized the hand that was on her elbow and remembered that she had backed into someone when she lost her footing. "Oh! I completely forgot. I'm sorry..." she spoke while turning to face the person she had backed into. She meant to thank them, expecting it to be Clint, saving her yet again. Instead she came face to face with a blushing Steve Rogers, in turn made her face turn as scarlet red as her lips.

Jenna stuttered over an apology and turned back to Phil with an awkward smile and stepping away from Steve. She glanced over to Clint, finding his face unreadable, before looking back to Phil. Even with the heels she barely reached the same height as him. After a couple minutes of talking and a brunette rushing in, being introduced as a Darcy, they all sat around the table.

"So what lovely feast do you have prepared for us Man of Iron?!" Thor shouted and threw a hand up and it landed on the table with a thump. The loudness that practically radiated from the god of thunder, made Jenna squeak and jump in her seat slightly. She wasn't use to the loudness, since she was here it had been mostly quiet both in volume and things happening. Aside from the incident of course. Today was becoming more and more overwhelming by the second. She could feel her breathing begin to speed up, she needed to calm down. She felt a hand slip into hers under the table and gave hers a squeeze, and it was enough to ground her again. She grip the hand in her own and focus on taking deep breaths, but not turning to the owner of the hand.

Once she felt her breathing return to normal, she loosened her grip on the hand and turned to its owner. "Thanks", she whispered. Natasha smiled and nodded at her before returning to her conversation with Bruce.

At some point Tony had brought out wine for everyone, claiming they should toast to Jenna's first day out in the city, making said woman embarrassed again. Jenna tried refusing the glass handed to her, but Tony kept insisting, telling her that one glass wouldn't hurt. Jenna sighed taking it, she knew her alcohol tolerance was low, even a couple glasses of wine use to have her tipsy. Clint had told her she didn't have to drink any of it, just to accept it from Tony and that would be fine. However after staring at the crystal-like wine glass, that held the ruby liquid, she gave in and drank to the toast. It had a bitter taste to it, it wasn't unpleasant but it wasn't preferable either. If she drank wine, she preferred a sweet one.

After three glasses, she still felt fine, maybe it was because she had been sitting the whole time, but the world hadn't started spinning yet. After dinner they all found themselves in the living room, talking and laughing. Thor was currently telling a story about how he dressed up in a wedding gown just to retrieve his hammer, everyone was laughing or at least smiling in Jenna's case. And her wine glass was never empty thanks to Tony, if she counted she was at six glasses and the room wasn't spinning yet. It was strange, but she certainly wasn't complaining. Jenna turned her attention from Thor's story and turned it to the window, the city was lit up completely. Today she realized how much she missed being outside, but also just how terrifying it was.

Jenna swirled the wine in her glass and stared at it for a moment, before looking at everyone in the room. She wondered if she could sneak away for a bit without being noticed, considering that she was in a room full of agents...well ex-agents and then a couple who weren't, there was a poor chance of it. She decided she would have to try, it was getting stuffy in here and she needed to breath. She was suddenly glad that she had placed herself off to the side, it might help her escape for a little bit. She edge slowly to the hall and when it seemed like no one was going to take notice, she turned and walked as quickly as she could without making a sound.

"Lady Jenna, tell us. What is it that you do?" Thor asked with a smile. The room grew silent, concerned at how she would react to him bringing it up. However when they turned to where she had previously been only moments ago, they found her space empty. The only three people who seemed to unconcerned where Clint, Natasha, and Phil. "Where did Lady Jenna go?" Thor looked around confused.

"She probably left to go to the bathroom and we were just to preoccupied to notice", Tony shrugged his shoulders after spending a moment looking around the room for evidence of her. Bruce simply shrugged and sat back against the couch as did the others. Clint however was left curious, wondering if she would return or not. He decided that if she didn't return in ten minutes, he would follow after her, just to check up on her. Soon the minutes were ticking by, one after another and she still hadn't returned, making him grow concerned. At ten minutes he excused himself and started after her, like he told himself he would do.

Jenna was leaning forward on the balcony edge, staring out at the city lights and sipping her wine. Red heels laid on the ground beside her, being left forgotten. A sigh left her mouth as she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "So this is where you escaped to", a voice came from behind her causing her to whip around almost stumbling over her heels. Only a familiar arm caught her instead,the owner chuckling as they did so. She looked up and came to face to face with beautiful blue eyes. "No shoes, now you're beginning to look like yourself", Clint smiled down at her. Her green eyes wide, red painted lips parted slightly and cheeks dusted pink.

"I'm sorry", she mumbled and attempted to back away from him, only to trip over her heels again. She was beginning to curse those things as Clint caught her again. Only this time an arm wrapped around her waist and his hand grabbed her shoulder, bringing her closer to him. The only thing separating them was the wine glass in her hand and they both new it. Suddenly that distance was the only thing Jenna could think about and it was excruciating.

"Jenna", Clint whispered her name.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

When you came back I knew you'd have a story  
You need someone to ease the pain of living life  
You're like a soldier in the fray, seeking shelter  
from all the madness that you've seen raining down now  
-Soldier, Goo Goo Dolls

"_I'm sorry", she mumbled and attempted to back away from him, only to trip over her heels again. She was beginning to curse those things as Clint caught her again. Only this time an arm wrapped around her waist and his hand grabbed her shoulder, bringing her closer to him. The only thing separating them was the wine glass in her hand and they both new it. Suddenly that distance was the only thing Jenna could think about and it was excruciating. _

"_Jenna", Clint whispered._

Her breathing caught in her throat as Clint took her glass from her hands and placed it aside, never looking away from her. Before she could say or do anything his lips were on hers. Her first thought was about how soft his lips were. The man that was normally so tough looking was actually a lot softer than he appeared. It took a couple seconds for her to respond, her hands gripped the front of his shirt tightly as she pressed her lips harder against his. Clint wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him, one hand between her shoulder blades and the other at the small of her back. Their hearts were beating wildly, the adrenaline was rushing through them, pulling them closer to each other.

His tongue brushed against her bottom lip, asking for entrance, which she slowly granted. She let his tongue explore her mouth thoroughly, a moan escaped her lips as he massaged her tongue with his. The moan that left her throat, made Clint groan and pull her tighter against him. At some point he had her against the wall beside the sliding glass door, his hands on her hips and her fingers tangled in his hair. If you asked him how they ended up there, he wouldn't be able to tell you, neither would she.

His fingers were inching their way down her thigh to the hem of her skirt. The moment his fingers met the bare skin underneath Jenna froze, the realization of what was happening hitting her finally. _Maybe the wine affected me more than I thought..._His hand was traveling up her thigh slowly, if she didn't stop him soon... Her mind began to panic, her heart racing for a different reason, terror was hitting her. The last time her bare skin had been touched, the last time someone had seen her naked, was for those experiments. She pulled her mouth away from his, her hands coming to his chest and pressing firmly against him. Her heart thumped when she saw the red smeared on his lips and the confusion on his face.

"I can't... I, I'm sorry", Jenna shook her head and pushed him away as hard as she could. Instead of causing him to take a couple steps back, he was pushed banister of the balcony, knocking the wine glass over. She didn't have the strength to do that, they both knew that. Jenna looked to her hands and to the shattered glass on the ground, the red liquid staining the floor, and then to Clint. "I'm sorry", she whispered it before running back inside and away.

Clint stood there in shock, the events of today confusing him. She may have made progress today, but the memories were still overwhelming her. They probably always would considering the fact she now had telekinesis, it was there as a constant reminder of what had happened to her in that facility. He sighed and looked at the broken wine glass and noticed the red heels beside it, he bent down and picked them up without much thought.

Jenna was in her room, the door locked as she leaned with her back against it as she stared at her hands. How did she keep doing that? "J.A.R.V.I.S I have a request", she said with a shaky breath.

"What would it be Madam?" the AI came from the wall.

"Can you bring up the video feed of when I was on the balcony and the day I broke the vase?" she didn't want to relive any of those moments, but she would have to.

"Of course, would you like me to send it to the tablet Mr. Stark has provided you?"

"That would be appreciated", Jenna took a deep breath and headed to the desk that she had yet to really use. She pulled the tablet out of a drawer and headed to the bathroom, intent to check her makeup. Her cheeks flared up at the sight of her red lipstick smeared around her own lips. She was quick to grab a rag and scrub the red stains away, until her lips were their normal pink. She tore out the tie in her hair while she was at it, letting her hair fall in a dismay of curls, she didn't even brush it down. Next she took her tablet with her to the room and quickly changed back into the sweats Natasha had been kind enough to leave her. She was about to start watching the video feed when a knock came on her door. "J.A.R.V.I.S who is at my door?" her heart was beating frantically, already knowing the answer to her question.

"It is Mr. Barton."

With a sigh she sat the tablet down on her bed and padded over to the door, opening it up shyly. Her eyes cast downward, catching a glance of the red heels in his hands. He came to return her shoes. She looked up at him slowly, letting her hair cover her face. A small chuckle came from his lips causing Jenna's cheeks to turn pink. "You look better without red lipstick Clint, you should really ask for advice next time you decide to try out makeup", Jenna huffed and turned her head away from him with a glower. Clint let out a laugh.

"I'll keep that in mind for next time. I brought you your heels", he held them out to her. The look on his face was soft, it made Jenna's heart break. She reached out and took them from him, her fingers brushing his. He turned to leave and she had to think about what to do for a second.

"Clint! Wait please", she dropped the heels in the door way and rushed to grab his wrist. She didn't know where her control went, but she wasn't going to try to get it back. Clint was looking at her with wide eyes. Jenna bit her lips before standing up on her toes and pressing a small kiss to his lips. "Thank you", she whispered when she pulled away and turned to her room. She kicked her heels in the room and closed the door without looking back at him. Not that he minded or anything, he was currently having a problem with his melting heart and the small smile forming on his lips. If he didn't hurry into his room then someone was going to catch him in this state. Talk about a horror story.

Jenna currently had her hair pulled up in a bun as she stared at he screen, papers with notes on them scattered on the table before. Sometime last night she had come out here to make use of a larger screen. She had been watching and rewatching the feed J.A.R.V.I.S had given her, then had him pause, zoom in and enhance the feed. At some other point she ended up requesting him to give her information on her vitals at each incident. The common denominator was a racing heartbeat, which in turn would mean there would be a rush of adrenaline at those moments as well. She was biting a pin as she zoomed in on what looked like a discrepancy in the air around her hands and the apple. "J.A.R.V.I.S can you enhance this discrepancy and then scan for anything similar in the other clips? If you find anything similar enhance it as well and then send a picture of the enhancement to my tablet, create a folder for all of this while you're at it. Label it X-1592 please", Jenna spoke while scratching something down on paper.

She looked out at the window to see the sun coming up. It had been a long time since she had stayed up all night working on something, it actually felt good. She could feel herself coming back to her a little bit at a time. She set her pen down and headed to the kitchen, bent on making some coffee because she was nowhere near quitting.

With a cup of coffee on the table she scanned over the pictures on her tablet. The fact that the enhancements were around both her body and the other objects, it sort of reminded her of magnets. "I want to see the first video with the enhancements in place", she spoke while picking up her coffee. It only took a few seconds for the video to begin playing. The apple the enhancement came up and left in a flash, she had to pause it, rewind and slow the clip down a few seconds, her heart rate on screen as well. When her phone went off, shocking her, it was enough to send her heartbeat racing for a couple seconds, that was when the first discrepancy formed around her hand. Then when she went to catch the apple it formed around it, then almost like a push it went flying and the discrepancies were gone as quickly as they formed.

She paused the feed wrote down a couple of short handed notes before moving on to the vase itself. When she cut her hand, her heart rate increased during her panic attack, the discrepancies formed again. This time staying a little longer than the first one, which was nothing more than a burst. She could hear someone walking and ignored them, deciding this needed her attention more. "Jenna?" the voice was groggy and belonged to her brother. She silenced him by holding up the finger while making a couple more notes. She still needed to watch last nights video, but with her brother standing right there, she didn't really want to do that.

"J.A.R.V.I.S I'll watch the next one on my tablet. You did put the enhanced video feed in the folder, correct?" she began searching her tablet for the folder she had asked it to make.

"Yes Madam I have, I'll clear this all off the video screen."

Jenna nodded to herself and began organizing her notes, not bothering to look over at her brother. Occasionally she would come across a page that she needed to write something else on and then she would need to reorganize, she became unaware of who was there. By the time she was done and looked back up to say something to her brother she was staring at a confused Phil and Bruce. "Oh, I didn't realize you were here Doctor Banner", she stood up with her notes and tablet in one hand, her mug in the other. Both Phil and Bruce were giving her very strange looks, she arched an eyebrow at them in return before shaking it away.

"I actually wanted to discuss something with you. I need you to draw my blood so I can run some tests on it. The fact that it was thin is concerning, but not only that, I have an idea of what to look for that could help us find out what exactly they used to change my DNA sequence. I also have some notes I wish you to go over, I would appreciate your theories about them", Jenna looked down at her notes and rethought her idea. She would need to copy these over into long hand, before he could read them. "I'll have to send you a copy of my notes, these are currently in short hand and in Swedish," she pursed her lips as she thought.

Phil's mind was rushing to catch back up with the events unraveling before him. Jenna was acting like...well like herself, the one he knew from before the kidnapping. She was using the word doctor again and was sounding like a scientist, not like the timid woman she had been for nearly over a month. _Could shopping with Tony really have been enough for her to be like this? _

"I would love to see the notes...once they're in English, I can't really read Swedish", Bruce smiled at her, with a concerned look on his face. The sudden change in demeanor was more concerning than the childlike behavior, how long would this last before she reverted back to safety, he had no idea. Jenna smiled at the both of them, bidding them goodbye, before heading off to her room, notes, tablet and coffee all in hand.

Clint had been looking all over for her, yet he couldn't find her. He was becoming concerned when he finally thought to ask the AI. "J.A.R.V.I.S locate Jenna for me", he was pacing at this point. He was suppose to watch her today, usually she would sit and watch Natasha and him train for a couple hours and then she would spend the day reading and he would have to remind her to eat.

"She, along with Dr. Banner and Mr. Stark are in the lab Sir", the AI spoke through its com. Clint's eyebrows raised slightly, both at her being in the lab and the AI using the term doctor once again. He remained confused on the elevator ride to the labs and the walk from the elevator. He came to a dead stop and had to take a second look at the scene before him. Jenna was currently dressed in a khaki suit and black heels, here hair was pulled into an elegant bun, some stray hairs falling in her face. It was almost hard to recognize the woman standing before him, she was nothing like the one who's feet were always bare and wearing sweatpants every day.

"Ha! That was my same reaction. I came down here to make sure Brucey here was eating and I saw this", Tony clapped Clint on he back with a chuckle. In Tony's other hand was a box of gadgets, none of which Clint could comprehend. He guided Clint over to the lab table that Jenna and Bruce were currently working at. Jenna was just taking off her suit jacket when Clint reached the table, revealing a light purple blouse. "Look who else came to join us with the fun?" Tony laughed as he sat down the box.

Now that Clint was at the table he could see notes and pictures scattering the top of it, and a small needle and empty veils laying near by. "Hi Clint. Well Doctor Banner, I would love to get this part over with so we can get to the real fun", Jenna held out her arm to Bruce, not even glancing at the needle he picked up. She could feel her heart racing and she closed her eyes to concentrate on calming down, she felt a hand on hers and she gripped it tightly. She could feel the needle pierce her skin, making goosebumps raise on her arms.

It didn't take long before Bruce was placing a cotton ball in the crook of her arm and bending it towards her chest. "Once the bleeding stops, then we can get to work on analyzing the blood samples and running a few stress tests down in the gym", Bruce smiled at Jenna once she opened her eyes again. She groaned at hearing the gym, she enjoyed watching the people in there, not participating. They were just giving Clint an excuse now. She looked up to Clint and glared at him, noticing the glint in his eyes.

"Well I guess we can get some samples spinning, since that right there will take a while. I can study samples under the scope later", Jenna sighed and nudged Clint in the side with her elbow.

"Great! I can finally get you in the gym actually working on something instead of watching!"


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Author's Note: I'M SORRY! Okay now that that's out of the way... I'm apologizing for the fact I have not updated this in weeks. I've been getting on to myself for it but this is the first time I've actually sat down and said, "I'm going to dish out a chapter". The only reason, sadly, that I've had any time to do this is because I've come down with a cold and couldn't make it to my classes. Which by the way, I just started cosmetology school so I've been busy. I promise to get a chapter out once a week from now on, my days off are Sunday and Monday so feel free to pester me for those chapters if I don't get them out. Now. Onward with the story!**

The walls start breathing  
My mind's unweaving  
Maybe it's best you leave me alone.  
A weight is lifted  
On this evening  
I give the final blow

-It Ends Tonight, by All-American Rejects

Jenna was sprawled out on the mats, staring up at the ceiling with her breathing heavy. Sweat coated her skin and dampened her hair, making it stick to her face and neck. The only thought that was going through her head was how much she wanted to kill Clint and Natasha, who were still going at it on the mats. She glanced over at them just as Clint attempted a punch and missed Natasha entirely, only to be flipped onto his back by the female assassin. "Tash I give, I give", he breathed out, making the red head laugh as she made her way over to Jenna.

"Ready for round two?" Natasha offered her hand to the blond woman. Jenna looked up at the woman, flabbergasted.

"I'll die."

The two ex-agents busted out laughing, not realizing she was serious. Jenna's heart rate was already up and causing her to feel a rush through her veins, she was sure that if she went another round that the whole room would burst. "We haven't even gotten started, what is your heart monitor reading at the moment?" Natasha asked over her shoulder as she turned and made her way to the bag by the benches.

Jenna lifted her arm to look at the wrist monitor Bruce had given her. "Fast, it reads very fast", Jenna's voice was monotone as she let her arm collapse beside her head. She could hear Clint chuckle from wherever he collapsed and wanted to shoot a glare at him, but couldn't find the energy to do so. "Can we please stop for the day? I'm still sore from the past three days and I have research in the lab calling my name. I'm still trying to get my notes from my old work, if it's come in today then I need to review them", Jenna whined, trying anything she could to get out of more exercise. She earned a sigh from the red head and another chuckle from the archer, this time making her sit up enough to turn and glare at him.

"Fine, fine. Go scurry off to your lab, but don't think you're going to be getting off easy tomorrow", the assassin threatened as she watched Jenna jump to her feet, suddenly full of energy. She and Clint watched the small woman run off, barefoot as usual, before either of them could stop her.

"Well I guess that's it for the rest of the session then", Clint got up and stretched his aching arms while Natasha shot him a glare.

"Oh no you don't. She can get out of this because she has elsewhere to be. You don't, so you aren't going anywhere", Natasha glared at the man before her.

Copies of notes where scattered over the two lab tables Bruce and Jenna were currently occupying, most of which were in a short hand that required translation. They had set up a efficient routine to deciphering her notes ahead of time, she would read them to him and he would type them up. They had been going at it for a couple hours barely making a dent in the stack, however adding a couple more notes here and there. A yawn escaped Jenna in the middle of a sentence causing her to set the paper down. "Sounds like you could use some coffee", Bruce looked up from the laptop he had been taking his notes on. The woman shrugged her shoulders before stretching her arms above her head and picked the paper back up.

"I could, but we're almost done with set one. We can finish this, take a break and get started on set two...if you're up for it", Jenna scanned the page for where she left off at. To think she would have had to do this at some point no matter what, made her question her reasoning for her Swedish shorthand.

"I'll be up for it easily, it sort of thrilling pulling an all niter just for some note review. I haven't done this since graduate school", Bruce laughed as he went ahead and stretched. Before getting into the position to keep typing.

"I doubt it'll be an all niter, we've only been going at this for a couple hou...", a beeping cut her off from finishing her sentence. The sound of a machine printing results caught both of their eyes, dragging their minds away from notes. "The blood results... Hopefully this time we've been able to isolate the abnormality enough to figure out what it is", Jenna's voice remained monotone as she stood up from her seat and set the page down again.

"Just remember to read it out loud in English. DNA isn't my specialty, so most of those words only make partial sense", Bruce stood up from his stool and waited for her to make the first move. He noted she was take slow and measured steps, as if preparing for the worse. They had already talked about what the possibilities were, none of which were good. Her work had still been in the beginning stages, when she was kidnapped so it never had time to develop.

Jenna picked up the paper and read over it once, then a second time, and a third. Bruce was beginning to wonder if it was inconclusive again when she finally opened her mouth. "As we already know, I have a low platelet level. This last bit you drew is lower than the others, so it's decreasing at a rapid rate. It's similar to cancer patients and people with other blood disorders. Nothing new there. As for the abnormality we got the last few times, well...that has changed", Jenna's hands were shaking now causing Bruce to grow concerned. He stepped forward placing a hand on her shoulder, but she was unable to notice.

She had become focused on the sequence in the results, she knew it. It was familiar, but from where? _Where have I seen this? I know I've seen it...maybe in my notes? _The shaking stopped immediately as realization dawned on her, she dropped the paper and turned from the machine, rushing over to the lab table. She grabbed a pen and turned over a piece of paper and began scribbling out a well known equation to her and then the sequence she had just read. If her math was correct... "Jenna? What's that equation for?" Bruce was standing beside her, watching her scribble out her numbers and letters. She didn't respond until she was done, until she had double checked and triple checked it.

"The first equation is mine, the formula I was developing for the project we were working on at the lab. The second is my current DNA sequence. It's been changed, altered by something using my equation. Someone used my research to preform genetic engineering on me."

They had decided to end the day short for once and were cleaning up when Tony came into the lab, no doubt ready to drag them out. His face would have been priceless if it weren't for the fact, neither of them were in any mood to be amused. "Have I walked into a different dimension? One where the two of you actually don't need to be reminded to sleep or eat?" Tony exclaimed as he looked around the room wide-eyed. The two scientist exchanged glances with each other briefly before returning to cleaning up their mess in silence. "Well. You two are as cheerful as a graveyard. Did someone die? If so give it a couple months, maybe a year and you'll see they're still alive", Tony spoke as he made his way over to the lab tables. Jenna didn't glance to the the man who was a walking ego, she continued tidying her notes into a small brown briefcase. She was going to keep them with her where ever she went now, one person stealing them was one to many.

Once everything was arranged in her brown case, she closed it and walked past Tony without so much as a second look. Bruce simply watched her go, a depressed expression on his face as he did so. He didn't know what would be worse. Someone stealing his work. Or someone using his work on him. He was currently just waiting for her to have then inevitable breakdown that he knew was coming. "What'd I miss? Did Clint and Jenna have a fight or something?" Tony asked, leaning towards Bruce as he watched the elevator doors close.

"I told Jenna I wouldn't talk to anyone about it... Wait. Clint and Jenna?" Bruce was suddenly confused at what the billionaire was talking about.

"So it's nothing romantic that's got her in a foul mood? Hm... You didn't realize it? I've got my money on Clint and Jenna hooking up, if Steve doesn't get to her first. Clint's kinda slow...okay all three of them are where this is concerned", Tony began rambling, causing Bruce to sigh.

"How long did it take you to realize you had feelings for Pepper?" Bruce asked, silencing Tony quickly.

Jenna walked into the gym after asking J.A.R.V.I.S if it was empty, never bothering to stop by her room to change and drop off her stuff. She made her way to the mats, knowing her melt down was rising. She made it to her destination just in time when the anger boiled over. She threw her brown brief case, causing the papers in it to go flying. Next came her heels, she threw them blindly, tears forming. She could hear the monitor on her wrist alerting her, letting her know she needed to get her heart rate under control, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She let out a scream and fell to her knees, holding her arms as she cried. She could hear it, the slight rattling sound coming from the weights. She was worried that someone had come in at first, until she opened her eyes and looked around.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. She looked to the weights, angry all of sudden at the fact they were making a sound. Her sight was beginning to get blurry again when she saw them begin to shake. She wiped her face on her coat sleeve and latched on to the anger she was feeling and flung her other arm out in front of and to the side. The hand weights jerked from their position and went flying into the wall, it was enough to fuel the rage inside of her. She let out another scream and flung her arm again, in a swiping motion. This time the bench slid across the floor and tipped over as she cried.

He found her laying on her back in the middle of the mess. She was staring up at the ceiling, her face void of all emotion and her chest rising and falling like she just got done with a workout. He would have found it amusing or even as a turn on if it wasn't for the fact the mess surrounding her. Papers were scattered everywhere, the hand weights were on the floor by the wall having left impressions, numerous workout equipment was turned over and even the bench was far away from where it was suppose to be and laying on it's side. He was terrified, on so many levels, especially when he spotted the heel of her shoe embedded into the wall. He would have found that hilarious any other day. He made his way over to her slowly, making as much noise as he could, but she never moved. He wasn't sure she even noticed him.

He sat down beside her and didn't say anything for a while, just noting that her makeup was smeared and her hair was a wreck. "Are you finally tired?" Clint asked slowly. She finally looked up at him, her eyes nearly broke his heart. They were so sad and tired, he didn't know what to do. She nodded her head softly and sat up, wiping her cheeks with her sleeve. Neither of them mentioned the mess she had made, it wasn't really necessary for either of them to understand. Clint stood up and offered his hand down to the woman, who took it without question.

He was expecting her to let go and start for the door immediately, but when he turned to leave her hand held firm and she didn't budge. He faced her again, his face showing his curiosity. Jenna didn't say anything as she wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her toes to do so, and crying into his chest.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Author's note: So I know it has been ages since I last updated, however I have a really good excuse. The keyboard on my old computer quit working and it's truly impossible to write anything with the internal keyboard. However, I was able to get a new laptop with income tax so I can finally start writing again. You all have no idea how amazing I feel to be able to write again! It's like I'm on top of the world!**

On the edges of the sharpest knives  
In the middle of the darkest nights  
Always knew that I would find you here  
In a puddle of the bravest tears  
I've seen enough to know it's lonely where you are  
Above the crowd  
Feet dangling from a rooftop (a rooftop)  
She waits from ledges for a voice to talk her down

-Tragedy + Time, Rise Against

Just as Bruce had predicted, she had reverted back to safety, the childish mindset already firmly back in place. However, he could understand why she did this time. Not only had her work been stolen, but someone had used it on her when it was still in its theoretical stage. Then there was this morning's incident to take into account. J.A.R.V.I.S. had woken everyone up in alarm, informing them something was wrong with Jenna's vitals. Clint, of course, was the first to get to her. What they had found, was startling to say the least.

She was thrashing in her bed, eyes tightly close, and covered in a sheen of sweat. Multiple things were moving about the room in a flash, crashing into the walls and furniture. Clint froze for only a second, before rushing over to her and held her down, afraid she would hurt herself in her sleep. "Jenna, Jenna wake up. Come on, wake up. Wake up Jenna", he was beginning to panic when it seemed she couldn't hear him. Finally, Tony strode over and pushed Clint to the side slightly. Then a resonating smacking sound rang through the room, stunning everyone.

The objects suddenly stopped and froze in their places as Jenna gasped and shot up straight in her bed. Her eyes were wide in terror and it seemed as if she was far away for a moment. However, once she became fully aware of where she was, everything fell to the ground.

After that she had remained in her room for a while, Clint keeping her company. She had only come out recently due to Clint's insistence about her needing to eat. She now sat on the counter kicking her bare feet back and forth, as Clint was cooking. Bruce had paused briefly when he came into the kitchen, amused at how he found them, Clint holding something out for her to taste and her leaning forward to taste it. Seems Tony had been right after all.

He passed them, going straight to the fridge without saying anything and only earning a glance from either of them. Once he poured himself some water he finally looked over at Jenna, she had that faraway look in her eyes again. "Jenna? How are you feeling? Any better from this morning?" he asked slowly, as to not startle her. She glanced at him briefly before shrugging her shoulders and returned to where she was staring at before.

"She hasn't said a word since waking up. She cried for a bit, but then she just laid there. I had to carry her over my shoulder kicking to get her out here. She didn't want to set her feet on the ground', Clint continued to cook as he talked to Bruce. "Did one of you get ahold of Coulson? I think he should be here with her. I also have some questions regarding her research and why she needed protection to do it."

"I can tell you what I know about her research from the notes we translated and that itself would probably give you the answer to why she needed protection. As for Coulson, he should be here soon", Bruce leaned against the table watching Jenna. Clint placed the food he had been cooking on a plate and faced Jenna quietly. Clint said something too quiet for him to hear, but Jenna after seeming to not hear him, slowly slid of the counter. She didn't seem to like that her feet were touching the ground, there was a grimace on her face, however she walked over to one of the bar stools and sat on it. Clint set the plate in front of her and gave her a stern look and said something else before walking over to Bruce.

"So tell me what you know about her research, in simple words please", Clint crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes never leaving Jenna.

"Well, Jenna specializes in genetic modification and gene splicing. Her research was still in its theoretical stage, however if she could prove it, the world be revolutionized. Her goal was to be able to modify the cancer genes so that instead of lowering the white blood cell count, they would raise it to a healthy level and keep it stabilized", Bruce glanced at Clint to gage his reaction, however his face didn't change any.

"How exactly could she have modified it to stay stabilized, instead of it just continuing to raise?" Clint held a soft look on his face, one completely written with concern.

"She was working with someone who specialized in nanotechnology. They were basically working together to reprogram the cancer cells. The overall goal was to increase healing capabilities. They were scheduled to begin an experimental trial in two weeks when she was abducted. If her work produced anything of substance it could be used by militaries worldwide, because if the cancer cells can be reprogrammed to heal instead of kill, then completely healthy cells could be reprogramed to kill", Bruce watched as Clint's face slowly began to harden. He felt slightly bad for anyone who had to suffer his wrath.

"So there are Nano bodies in her blood? Could they be reversed?" Clint finally asked after a moment of silence.

"I have no idea. Her colleague went missing after she did. Theoretically it could be. After all, the basis of her research is about reprogramming. However, that's the problem, it's all theoretical at the moment. Once we get the rest of her notes translated, we can start working on figuring out how to reverse. Until then we need to focus on helping her get the telekinesis under control", Bruce finally returned his gaze to Jenna, she in return was looking at them curiously. Clint gave him a nod before walking over to her and picking up her plate.

Clint had turned his back on her for one second and she had run off. He didn't bother with searching blindly for her, J.A.R.V.I.S. had located her on the roof and that's where he was now. He stood behind her, quietly watching. "Jenna", he stepped forward slowly. She twisted around startled to find she wasn't alone. "What are you doing up here? Why don't you have a jacket or shoes? It's cold out here", he quickly pulled off his own jacket and placed it on her shoulders.

"I wanted some fresh air", she whispered, her voice distant.

"You could have gone out on a balcony", he peered into her eyes, brushing her hair behind her ears as he did so.

"I didn't want to be disturbed", she looked away from him quickly, as if hiding something from him. He looked over to where she had been staring, noticing that she would only have to take a couple steps and she would have been falling. He crushed her against him in a tight embrace at that thought. She stiffened slightly, being caught off guard before awkwardly patting his back in return. When he pulled away, she was giving him a curious look. "What was that for?"

"I just wanted to hold you for a moment, Jenna. I always do", he said softly, tucking another lose strand behind her ear. Her cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink as she looked away again. "We better get back in; I came up here because your brother just got back. I thought you two should spend some time together. Go and catch a movie or something. It'd be good for you", Clint placed his hand at the small of her back and guided inside.

They didn't go to a movie. Instead, they went to a theater production, it was small and there weren't as many people had they caught a movie. It was a comedy, written by one of the cast members, that had everyone in the audience laughing, Jenna and Phil included. Afterwards they walked down the street, stopping into a couple shops to look around. The hair comb he had given her before the incident glittering in her hair. He had finally remembered to bring it with him today, her smile when she saw it had been a sad, nostalgic one.

They currently in a small shop that had dream catchers and beaded necklaces of all sorts. He continued to keep an eye on her as she walked through the shop in what seemed to be a daze. Jenna was walking along the wall that was filled with different jewelry when something caught her eye. A necklace that had a carved hawk on it purple glass beads. There were others with different animals and different colored beads, put this was the one that had caught her eye. She grabbed it without a second thought and continued looking around for a while longer.

Once they had bought the necklace and were out on the street again, their next stop was a pretzel vendor and then the tower. Needless to say, Jenna felt relief when they got back to the tower and could take off her heels. She thoroughly enjoyed herself, however she could still only handle so much. It had been something she needed, she felt just a little better. Once they got off the elevator she began searching for Clint, wanting to give him the necklace she had bought.

He, as well as Natasha, were in the living room, a movie play and were chatting happily. She smiled softly and slowly approached them sitting beside Clint. "Hey, how was your time with your brother?" Natasha asked, giving her a smile.

"It was good, we went and saw a theater production", Jenna returned the smile awkwardly.

"Got a souvenir from it?" Clint asked pointing to the bag in her hand. Her face turned red as she quickly shook her head, making both of them raise their eyebrows in curiosity and amusement.

"We stopped in this shop that dream catchers and beaded jewelry. Very Native American themed replicas, none of it was authentic", Jenna shifted nervously beside Clint.

"I didn't think that was your style", Natasha said with a teasing smile causing Jenna to purse her lips.

"It's not, we went in there to just look around and something caught my eye. I prefer antiques or replica pieces of the early 1900s", Jenna crossed her arms over her chest in a pout. Clint and Natasha laughed at her reaction. Natasha gave another smile before getting up and stretching.

"Well it's getting late and I have to get up early for a mission. I'll catch you two later", she gave a wave and walked off with a knowing smile. Jenna watched her leave with a confused look, knowing that Natasha wouldn't be going to sleep just yet. She had done missions with little sleep before.

"So what did you buy?" Clint spoke after a moment of silence, gaining Jenna's attention again. At the mention of it, her face flushed red again amusing Clint even more.

"Here", she thrust-ed the bag at him, looking away, "I got it for you." With that she stood up quickly and ran off to her room. He was left on the couch with a small bag on his lap and a surprised look on his face. He turned his attention the bag and pulled out what was inside, a smiled forming on his face.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

It's hard letting go  
I'm finally at peace but it feels wrong  
Slow I'm getting up  
My hands and feet are weaker than before

-Silhouettes, Of Monsters and Men

The next few days had passed by rather quietly, Clint never mention the necklace he was now wearing, to which Jenna was grateful for. It made it easier for her to try to forget her embarrassment. However, the quietness wouldn't last for long. Jenna had woken up unable to breath, once she sat up however, her breathing came back as she started coughing. Holding a hand up to her face, she could feel something warm and sticky cover her fingers. "J.A.R.V.I.S. lights", she croaked out. Once the lights were on, she could see her fingers covered in blood.

She stumbled out of the bed and rushed to her bathroom, the light automatically turning on. Her mouth and chin were covered in blood, obvious signs of a nose bleed, which had caused her to choke during her sleep. She turned the water on with her clean hand and began scrubbing the evidence away, a headache forming behind her eyes. Once she was done, she just stood there watching herself in the mirror. Her skin was pale, her eyes dilated, she could feel her rapid heartbeat in her chest. Something was wrong, something had changed.

She turned away from her reflection and hurried back into her room. After changing into a pair of sweats and a shirt she rushed down to the lab. She pulled out the tourniquet and vials, making quick work of drawing her blood. She had to get it under a microscope and start running an analysis of it.

When Bruce enter the lab, he almost didn't notice Jenna passed out at beside a microscope. When he got closer to her, he could hear her snoring softly as she used her arm for an awkward pillow. She seemed paler than usual, put it could have also been the lighting. Instead of waking her up, he went to his office, letting her sleep a little while longer.

Ten minutes later, Tony was walking in two cups of coffee in hand, heading straight for Jenna. He set them down on a separate lab table before investigating the sleeping woman. He tugged on her hair and when she didn't even budge he decided to poke her in the side. The moment he did, she shot up straight, looking around confused. "I think there's a little drool, right there", Tony pointed to her chin. Jenna quickly ran her arm over her chin, trying to wipe any drool away. "So what are you doing in here sleeping?" Tony asked while stepping back a bit to grab her coffee.

"I was analyzing…" a yawn escaped her lips as she tried speaking. She was about to finish her sentence when she suddenly remembered the blood test results she had been waiting on. She stood up quickly, stumbling slightly before running over to the computer. Her white blood cells were lower than before, as were her platelet levels. Her formula was attacking her immune system it seemed. When she heard the others coming over, she quickly exited out of the results and placed them in a password protected folder.

"So what were you analyzing?" Tony looked at her with his arms crossed while Bruce looked on with a curious gaze.

"What I usually analyze. My blood. I was hoping I would find something new. I'm going to make a couple changes in my analysis by focusing in on the mutations. Can you schedule an MRI for me? I also want to increase the stress tests", Jenna spoke while passing them by, not looking at either of them. She grabbed her notes, having already put the scope sample in the file, before grabbing the coffee and heading towards the elevator. "Thanks for the coffee, Tony!" she called out over her shoulder.

They stood quietly for a moment, a look of bewilderment on both of their faces. "She's hiding something from us", Bruce finally spoke up.

She was currently in the gym, attempting to concentrate on moving the set of weights, however, all she could get was some rattling. She huffed in frustration, before turning away from the weights and throwing a punch into one of the bags hanging from the ceiling. "Shit", she cursed as her hand came into contact with the bag and bent her wrist. She shook her hand out before rubbing her now sore wrist.

"Looks like we need to work on your punching skills", a voice startled her. She turned around quickly her heart rate accelerating once again, causing the weights from earlier to slide a foot backwards. Jenna let out a huff as she glared at the weights, until a laugh came from the person who spoke earlier. She turned her glare towards its owner, finding Steve looking at her with an amused expression.

"We? Good luck with that. I'm terrible with all this physical stuff. Once I got out of high school, I never stepped foot in a gym again. You'd have to be a miracle worker to get me half way decent", Jenna huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. However, it only caused the soldier to chuckle at her, in turn it earned another glare.

"Well I'm technically a walking miracle, so maybe I can help. That is if you want it? You could just go back to hurting your wrist though if you want", Steve shrugged, a smirk on his face. Jenna's face remained in a glare as she contemplated it. Maybe, just maybe, if she trained her body some, she would be able to control these abilities a little bit more. The key to unlocking them, might not be in understanding the genetics of it, but in understanding her own body. There was nothing to lose in trying, after all she need some control until she could find a way to reverse it… If it could be reversed at all.

She turned around to face the punching bag and looked at it thoughtfully for a moment. "Okay…how do we start?" she looked over her shoulder at him, a serious expression on her face.

Instead of starting with the punching bag, he had practice to motion of throwing a punch in slow motion. He demonstrated how she need to maneuver her body to throw a punch that wouldn't strain her and would put speed behind it. She wouldn't be able to overpower someone with strength, so he decided to teach her something that she could use her size and speed for. Well…once she got better at it she would be able to work on speed.

"Okay, spread your feet out more, you don't want to someone to be able to easily push you down", he nudged her feet a little farther apart with his own. "Okay good. Now jab with the front fist, and then punch with the other. Make sure you twist your body to go with the punch and to always keep your hands up in front of you. If they're too high up and only protecting your face, you leave your body exposed, same if they are too low. You want to be able to easily block any blow", he took a step back, giving her a nod to start. She caught on fast to the process of it, however, you could tell she wasn't one for physical exertion.

"Okay, that's enough for today. How about you just practice those punches for couple days and then we'll go over it all again", he gave her a satisfied smile as he patted her on the shoulder. The moment he said it was enough, her arms dropped to her sides in relief.

"I'm going to be so sore tomorrow…" Jenna groaned out, causing Steve to laugh. She most like would be sore tomorrow, he didn't doubt that for a moment. However, he didn't respond, only instead he headed over to the fridge that Tony kept in there and retrieved a couple bottles of water.

"You need to keep hydrated. Probably should start drinking less caffeine while you're at it", Steve suggested as he handed her a cool bottle of water. She let out a snort in response as she pressed the bottle to her forehead, trying to cool herself down.

"Less caffeine? Didn't you know that scientist survive on coffee? How do you think we manage all of our seventy-five hour stunts?" she grimaced remember the exact time she had pulled that stunt.

"What were you doing for seventy-five hours straight?" Steve asked baffled by the idea. She glanced up at him, in contemplation.

"I was working at Harrison Medical Research and Technology as an assistant while finishing up my thesis for my doctorate. I had to balance out work and writing, and well it didn't work out so well. Luckily that seventy-five hours was the end of both Harrison Medical and the end of my thesis. I haven't done a repeat since", she opened her water and chugged half of the water down.

"What was your thesis over?" Steve asked curiously, causing her to look over at him.

"The same thing I was working on before the incident. It's why they wanted to hire me in the first place", Jenna looked down at her water. She had been trying to cure cancer, instead it was killing her. "I'm going to go take a shower, I'm covered in sweat. Thank you for helping, I'll be sure to practice what you showed me over the next few days", she gave him a practiced smile before waving and heading out, not giving him time to react.


End file.
